Like a Needle in a Haystack
by boswifedeb
Summary: While getting the ranch in Texas ready to run cattle again, Matt finds a visitor in his barn. Thirteen year old Brian Landers has been on his own for the last month since his mom went missing. This story immediately follows "The Invisibility Factor". Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Like a Needle in a Haystack**

****This story immediately follows "The Invisibility Factor"****

**CHAPTER 1**

"You boys look like you could use some lemonade!" CJ Parsons-Houston pulled up to the cowboys who were repairing the cattle guard. One of them was her husband, Matt Houston, who had grown up on the ranch just outside of Houston, Texas. "You got that right." He walked over to the truck and leaned in the window to give her a kiss. "Thanks, babe." Before CJ stepped out of the truck, Matt checked the area to make sure there were no copperheads near it. Since she was three months pregnant with their first child he wasn't taking any chances. He walked with her to the back of the truck and dropped the tailgate then picked her up and set her up on it.

"It won't be too long before you won't be able to pick me up anymore." She patted on her belly.

"Nah, you're not anywhere near as big as you think, CJ." He rubbed her belly and leaned forward to give her another kiss.

"How are we supposed to get any of this lemonade with you over here smooching on your wife?" Chuck Wylie popped Matt on the backside with his t-shirt that had been removed and had been hanging out of his back pocket for the last three hours. He and Matt had gone through school together and played on the high school baseball team. A deputy for the Harris County Sheriff's Department, Chuck had been helping Matt get the ranch ready to run cattle again. He was married and the father of five children, so the extra income was welcomed, not to mention the fun that he and Matt had working together.

"Jealous much?" Matt leaned forward and gave CJ another kiss and slid the cooler of lemonade to the tailgate as he did so. "They call that multi-tasking in LA. Whadaya think of that?"

"I think I'm ready for some lemonade." Chuck grinned at Matt.

"Well there's five gallons of it there, so maybe that will take care of you boys for a little while." CJ pulled out a pack of plastic cups as Matt slid a cooler of ice over so the guys could fill their cups.

After letting the other men fill their cups first, Matt settled down on the tailgate next to CJ. He looked at the crew that he had put together. The Hoffmann brothers, Marty and Pat, were two of the best cowboys in the area. Ollie Burckhardt had been a bullfighter, also known as a rodeo clown, back when Matt used to ride the circuit. He had saved Matt's life one time when he got hung up on a bull. And then there was Chuck. He and Chuck had been best friends since the age of five. It was a great crew and Matt had great expectations for this ranch.

As they drank and cooled off, Matt looked around at all they had accomplished in the last couple of weeks. They had replaced all of the fencing that wasn't up to snuff and repaired or replaced cattle guards that were no longer safe. Once the repairs were finished, Matt would be buying two Brahman bulls and some Gelbvieh cows to put on the spread. He had almost fifteen square miles of pastureland to graze them on and had decided to start fairly small with fifty cows to a herd, which would give him one hundred head of cattle to each herd after a successful calving season. He was planning on running the cattle on part of the acreage and using what was left for hayfields.

CJ watched Matt as he sat there, knowing that he was thinking about how it would be when he got the ranch up and running. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, giving Chuck another excuse to pick on Matt.

"Uh oh, here we go boys, only this time she's the one starting it!" He smiled at the couple. Although he loved to pick on them, he (like everyone else who had known them for a long time) was happy that they had finally gotten together. The other men laughed.

"Yep, Houston I think you were right – he's just jealous 'cause his wife ain't here." Marty Hoffmann swatted at Chuck with his shirt and the battle was on. Matt and CJ just sat there smiling at the group as all four of them started popping each other. He decided to take advantage of their distraction and pulled CJ into his arms for a little more intimate kiss. It took the others a while to notice, but when they did, they decided to have a little fun. Matt and CJ were so busy smooching on each other that Matt didn't notice when Marty and Pat snuck up behind him. Marty pulled the waistband of his jeans and Pat dumped a cup of ice down his backside. It didn't take Matt long to figure out what they had done, but he didn't even flinch, just kept kissing CJ. It had the desired effect.

"Dang it! He didn't even jump! Guess it's true love after all." The Hoffmann brothers stood there laughing as did Chuck and Ollie.

Matt finally broke the kiss and without a trace of a smile looked at the brothers and said, "Did y'all say something?" That was the last straw. All four of the men began to pop Matt with their shirts as CJ just sat there laughing at the sight. When they had calmed down a little Matt refilled his cup and sat back down on the tailgate. "Guess we better get back to work." He chugged down the rest of his drink, then moved the coolers to the back of the other truck and walked CJ back to the front of the truck she was driving. After opening the door for her and helping her in, he leaned over and gave her another kiss. "Thanks again, babe."

"It was worth all the work just to see the show." She started to drive off and looked in the mirror at her husband who was walking the other way. CJ stopped the truck and stuck her head out of the window. "Hey, Matt? Didja know your pants are wet?" He just waved his hand and kept on walking, leaving her to chuckle as she drove back to the house.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

After working all day on the fences and cattle guards, Matt was pretty tired. Just as they were heading back to the barn at the end of the day, one of the frequent afternoon thunderstorms bloomed up and began dumping rain on the tired cowboys. By the time they got to the barn Matt, Marty, and Ollie were soaked to the skin from riding in the back of the truck. Pat parked the truck inside the barn and the men started wiping down the tools to avoid having them rust. As Matt went into the tack room for more rags, he heard a noise in one of the stalls and walked that way to find out what it was. Suddenly, someone came running out of the stall as he got to the door, knocking him down. Matt had managed to get a grip on him and he fell to the floor along with Matt. The other men ran down the hallway and caught the boy as he jumped up and tried to take off running.

"Hold on there, pard. What's going on?" Marty had caught the teenager and was holding him with great difficulty.

Matt picked himself up from the ground and looked at the boy that had knocked him down – and felt like he was looking at a picture of himself from twenty years ago. The boy had dark curly hair and brown eyes. "Hey, calm down. We're not going to hurt you. What's your name?"

The boy looked scared to death. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Nobody said you did. What's your name?" Matt's question was met with silence. "This fella over here on your right is a deputy. We're going to find out who you are, one way or another so you might as well go ahead and tell us."

The boy looked at Chuck. "Come on son, tell us your name."

"I'm not your son!" The boy struggled and tried once again to break free from Marty's grip.

"Hey, calm down. Look, are you hungry? Let's go up to the house, get something to eat and sit down and talk. Okay?" Matt was attempting to brush some of the mud off of his clothes but had decided that it was a losing battle. The mention of food had definitely gotten the boy's attention and he nodded at Matt. "Let him go, Marty. Come on." Matt led the way up to the house. The rain had slacked up to a slow drizzle.

"Houston, you want us to come with you?" Marty wasn't so sure about turning the boy loose and Pat appeared to be sharing the sentiment.

"Nah, that's okay guys. We're just going to get a bite to eat. Thanks anyway." He very calmly kept walking toward the house followed by the boy. When he got to the kitchen door he opened it for him. "Go ahead and have a seat." He kicked off his boots on the deck and then stepped inside. "Madre Rosa?"

The housekeeper came in from the laundry room loaded down with a basket of clothes. "What in the world happened to you?" She hadn't seen the boy yet. Then her eyes landed on him. "Hi. Have you been helping Matt with the fencing?" The boy shook his head no and Rosa looked back at Matt.

"Do you think you could find our friend here something to eat?" Matt was pulling off his shirt. "I need to change. You wouldn't have a pair of my jeans in there would you?"

The housekeeper handed him a pair and Matt walked into the laundry room and changed into them, coming back into the kitchen wearing the fresh pair of jeans, no shirt, and drying his hair with a towel. He poured a cup of coffee for himself, then leaned against the counter and looked over at the boy who was wolfing down a sandwich. Matt reached into a cabinet, pulled out a bag of cheese puffs and walked over to sit down at the table. He opened the bag and took out a handful, then sat it on the table where the boy could get to it. And get to it he did – declaring war on them.

"So…," Matt took another puff and chewed on it. "What's your name?"

The boy looked at him, somewhat fearfully. He swallowed and then quietly answered. "Brian."

Matt stuck out his hand. "I'm Matt." The boy shook it. "How old are you?"

"Thirteen."

"Now, I get the feeling that you're having some troubles. If you'll tell me what's going on, I can probably help you."

Brian gave him a skeptical look. "What makes you think that you could help?"

"Because that's what I do. I'm a private investigator."

The boy looked surprised. "Really?"

Matt nodded and reached back for his wallet, then removed his license and showed it to his young guest who carefully studied it as well as Matt's face. "It's me – the beard is about two weeks old."

Brian handed the license back to him and took another bite of sandwich. "It says California."

"Yep, I've been living there for a few years now. I came back here to get this place up and running again – cattle." He took another sip of the coffee.

The boy was checking him out with eyes that seemed far wiser than his years. "What's with all the scars?"

Matt looked down. "Well, let's see. This collection here on my shoulder got started when I was in Iraq. These two," he pointed to a round scar in the middle of his chest and one on his neck, "happened about four years ago. Then this one," Matt pointed to a large scar right next to the round one, "came from a butcher knife. The guy had kidnapped my friend's daughter and gave me this when I tracked him down. And this one here is fairly recent. It happened a few months back when I was helping that same friend with a murder case."

Brian seemed fairly impressed. "Haven't you figured out how to do your job without getting hurt so much?"

The private investigator laughed. "You know, my Uncle Roy says the same thing all the time. He helps me with the detective agency."

The boy seemed to relax a little bit and Matt reached for the bag of cheese puffs. "I swear I could eat my weight in these things – tried to several times when I was a kid." He grinned at the boy, who nodded his agreement. "So now that you know a little about me, what's your story?"

Worry crossed the boy's eyes. "You're not going to turn me over to that cop are you?"

"Not planning on it." Matt continued to munch on the puffs. "He's also a friend of mine – we grew up together. Can you believe he's got five kids?"

Brian grinned. "What about you? Got any kids?"

"Got one on the way. My wife's about three months along now."

The boy continued to size him up as Matt continued to eat the cheese puffs. "Well, I'm kind of …between homes I guess you could say."

The private investigator nodded. "One of the guys out there? The oldest guy? He was homeless until about two weeks ago when we met." Brian gave him a disbelieving look. "Seriously. I gave him the job here after I figured out who he was. He used to be a bullfighter – you know a rodeo clown? Saved my butt several years back when I was bull riding and got hung up. I owed him big time, so I figured the least I could do is give him a job."

"You rode bulls?"

"Yep, and broncs, and did team roping. That was a while back though." He turned the bag of puffs toward the boy. "I gotta quit eating these things or I'm gonna gain fifty pounds. One more for good luck."

Rosa walked back into the kitchen. "I hope you didn't spoil your dinner, Matt. I see you with those cheese puffs."

He tried to look innocent. "Who me?" Rosa turned around and nailed him with a look. "What's for supper anyway?"

"Shrimp gumbo. I'm waiting for CJ to get here before I add the shrimp." She took the lid off of a pot on the stove and a wonderful smell filled the kitchen as she stirred the contents.

"You like gumbo?" Brian nodded. Matt eyed Rosa and then slipped another puff from the bag and brought it to his lips.

"Don't ruin your dinner, Matt." She didn't even have to turn around. Brian giggled as Matt got a guilty look on his face.

"Yes ma'am." He popped it into his mouth. "So you're between homes…and?"

"Well, my mom kind of…uh, she's…" Brian looked down.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on, Brian." Matt took another sip of coffee.

"She's kind of got this problem…with drugs…heroin. And she disappeared about a month ago." His head was down as he told Matt and then he looked up at him. "You're not going to tell the deputy, are you?"

"Well, if I did he might be able to help us." The boy tensed up and looked like he was ready to run. "But let's see if we can do this without his help right now, okay?" Brian relaxed. "Now…" Matt got up and walked over to the small desk in the corner of the kitchen and grabbed a pad of paper. "What's your mom's name?"

"Lisa. Lisa Landers."

"Okay." Matt jotted down the name. "Birthday?"

"May 15, 1978."

Matt stopped. "No way, seriously? That's my birthday. Cool." He continued to get the basic information from the boy, including where he had lived up until his mom disappeared, where she had worked, and a cell phone number. "So there's no answer on her cell, huh?" Brian shook his head. "Okay, do you have any relatives – aunt, uncle, cousin, anybody?" He shook his head no again. "Alright. Well…," he looked at the clock on the wall. "It's getting kind of late in the day to be starting on something like this. How about we start out fresh in the morning? Is that okay?" Brian nodded. "You can stay here tonight – but in the house this time, okay?"

CJ came walking into the kitchen just then. She had spent the afternoon visiting friends. "Hi." She smiled at Brian as she walked over and gave Matt a peck on the cheek. "Who's your friend?"

"CJ, this is Brian. Brian, CJ, my wife." She stuck out her hand and the boy looked afraid to shake it. "She's a lawyer, but she doesn't bite…well, not too much anyway." Brian laughed and shook her hand. "Brian here's kinda in between homes at the moment. His mom's missing and he's just hired me to find her." He winked at the boy.

"Aha, I see. Well, let me know if you need my help." She turned and headed over to the stove and lifted the lid on the gumbo. "Oh my God! That smells so good!"

Madre Rosa walked back into the kitchen. "Oh good, you made it home. I'll put the shrimp in – it shouldn't take but a couple of minutes to be finished."

Matt looked over at Brian. "Think you can handle some gumbo?" The boy nodded.

Later on, after his guest had wolfed down three bowls of Madre Rosa's gumbo, Matt came back downstairs after taking a shower and padded into the den where Brian was channel surfing and CJ was reading. "Anything good on?" He plopped down in the recliner.

"Not really." Brian turned to hand the remote to Matt.

"Don't need it. You can keep it." He reached over onto the table and picked up the laptop that was sitting there and started checking through different databases looking for Brian's mom. The boy walked over and was watching him. After going through several different places, Matt still didn't find any trace of her.

"Brian, I need to ask you a question and I need an honest answer, okay?" He looked up at the boy. "You said your mom has a heroin habit – has she ever been arrested for it before?"

"Once I think – a long time ago before she met my dad." He sat down in the floor in front of the recliner.

"You didn't mention your dad earlier. What's the story there?"

"He died about two years ago. Cancer. It was pretty bad." He looked down at his sneakers. "When I was younger he would play baseball with me, and basketball. But after he got sick he couldn't do any of that." Matt nodded and Brian continued. "After he died, Mom started using heroin again. I caught her one time, you know, with the needle and all. She told me that before her and Dad got together that she did that sort of thing, but after they met, she quit. Didn't touch it again until he was gone. I guess she did it because she was upset about losing him."

CJ had closed her book and was listening.

"Do you know who she bought it from? Did she buy from the same person all the time or just whoever she could get it from?" Matt leaned forward in the chair.

"Just whoever had it I think. She tried to hide it from me, but stuff like that is pretty obvious, you know?"

"Yeah. Do you know the names of any of her friends – maybe she's staying with them?"

"No, she's never really had a lot of friends. She's real shy."

"Well, if you think of anybody – friends or people she worked with – let me know, okay? It might help us find her." He looked over at CJ who was wearing a worried expression.

Later on that night, after taking Brian upstairs and showing him into one of the spare bedrooms, Matt and CJ were lying in bed. She had her head resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "You know we're going to have to tell somebody that he's here, Matt."

"I know. But I want to try to find his mom first." He rubbed her arm and pulled her closer.

"So he doesn't have any family at all?"

"Nope."

"How long has he been on his own?"

"About a month."

"That's terrible." Neither one said anything for a minute. "Matt, I hate to even think this, but…"

"What if she's dead? I know, I've been wondering about that, too." He turned over on his side facing her and gave her a kiss, softly stroking her cheek. "He seems like a pretty good kid." Matt put his arm around her.

"Uh huh." They both fell silent again and a couple of minutes later she felt his arm relax and heard his breathing get deeper and more regular, and knew that he was asleep. As a cloud moved from in front of the moon, she could see his face in the moonlight that shone through the window. If not for the moustache and newly acquired beard, he might have passed for a kid himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

It was still raining the next morning. As Matt made his way into the kitchen in search of coffee, he saw Brian walking up from the barn. The boy came inside the kitchen carrying a back pack. "Mornin'."

"Hi." The boy looked around.

"Got some extra clothes in there?" Houston took the coffee and walked over to the table and sat down.

"Yeah, I forgot to bring them in last night."

"Well, when you get changed bring the others down and we'll get the washer going." Matt yawned and stretched. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good. The bed is a lot more comfortable than a stall."

"I don't know – I've been known to go to sleep in a stall before – and a hayloft. Gotta say the loft is the more comfortable of the two though." He grinned.

Brian went back upstairs to shower and change and passed CJ who was on her way down. "Good morning, Brian."

"Morning." He went on up and she continued on her way into the kitchen where she gave her husband a kiss and made herself a cup of tea. "I was wondering if he had any extra clothes."

"Yep, we're going to do some laundry when he gets done." Matt watched his wife and knew what he was going to hear next.

"Are you going to talk to Chuck about him?" She sat down next to Matt and took a sip.

"Nope. Not yet. I'm going to see if I can find his mom first." He looked over at her. "You and I both know that if the authorities hear about this they will probably put him in a foster home."

She nodded. "But you know…"

"Yeah, I know, CJ." Sometimes the lawyer in her could be a pain.

Matt's cell phone rang. "Hi Chuck. Yep, he's still here. Well, he needs me to help him find his mom." There was a pause as Chuck advised Matt of what he was supposed to do. "Yeah, I know, but…" Chuck started in again. "Well look: give me a chance to find the lady, okay? We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Talk to you later." Matt hung up and didn't look too happy.

Madre Rosa walked in and pulled a pan of blueberry muffins out of the oven and started putting them on a plate. She noticed Matt and CJ weren't as talkative as usual. "What's wrong?" She put her hands on her hips and looked at the pair.

Matt shook his head. CJ piped up, "Nothing. Why?"

"It's awfully quiet in here. You two are usually cutting up about something." She gave Matt a look and then put the plate of muffins on the table. Matt continued staring into his coffee cup. "Hey, snap out of it. Eat." He looked up and finally noticed the muffins.

"Thanks." He picked one up and took a bite. "They're great."

"Mmph." Rosa walked back over to the sink and began washing the muffin tin.

Brian came walking into the kitchen a few minutes later, walked into the laundry room to drop his clothes, and then sat down next to Matt who pushed the plate of muffins in front of him. "Dig in." The boy did and then looked around at Madre Rosa.

"Did you make these?" He looked at the elderly housekeeper.

"I did." She gave him an appraising look.

"They're great." He gave her a big smile and she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the jug of milk and brought it and a glass over to him. "Thanks."

"You're very welcome." She patted him on the shoulder and went back into the kitchen. "And thank you for the compliment."

After eating three of the muffins, Brian looked at Matt. "So where do we start?"

Matt got up and poured another cup of coffee. "Well, let's go back to where you were living, then we'll try the factory where she works, and …then we'll see."

Brian nodded but looked worried. "What about your friend – the deputy?"

"He called a little while ago. I told him we were going to be busy today looking for your mom." He walked back over and sat down.

"If we don't find her today – are you going to turn me over to him?" Brian wasn't stupid: he knew how these things went. If Matt handed him over to the cops they would turn him over to the state and put him in an orphanage or something.

"Not if I can help it." Matt looked at CJ. "Look, can't we get temporary custody of him or something?"

"Possibly. But that could take a while." She knew her husband had a soft spot for kids but she also knew the law – and he was on thin ice already. "I've got a friend that specializes in family law – let me give her a call and see what she says."

"Look, I'll just go. I don't want to …" Brian stood up and started for the stairs.

"Nope. Sit back down here. We'll find some way to work this out, bud. Come on and sit back down, okay?" Matt pulled out the chair that Brian had been sitting in and patted it. The boy walked back over and sat down. "Have you thought of anybody else that we might be able to ask about your mom?"

"No, that's all I can think of." Brian looked down at his hands and then back up at CJ. She smiled at him.

"Brian, Matt's right. We'll find some way to work it out, alright?"

"I just don't want to get you in trouble."

Matt laughed. "Trouble is my middle name."

CJ rolled her eyes and cracked up. "You got that right."

After eating a couple more muffins, Matt and Brian loaded up in the truck and headed into town to see what they could find out about his mom. When they stopped by the apartment where Lisa and her son had lived, Matt spoke with the manager, an older lady who seemed relieved to find out that Brian was alright. "I thought maybe she just didn't have the rent money and had left, but I knew she wouldn't have gone off and not taken the pictures of Brian and all."

"Do you know of any place she might have gone? Any friends or family?" Matt was watching Brian toss a football with some other kids in front of the complex. The kid had a pretty good arm.

"I know for a fact there wasn't any family – on her side or her husband's. She told me that they had both been raised in foster homes."

"Well Mrs. Perkins, I sure appreciate your help. Here's my card…" Matt wrote the number for the ranch on the back. "This is my number here in town. If you think of anything or hear anything that would help us, please give me a call."

"I will. But what about Brian? Where is he staying?"

"He's staying with us – my wife and I – right now. Thanks again for your help." He turned to go.

"Mr. Houston, what about Brian's belongings? I haven't removed any of it from the apartment."

Matt stopped and looked at Brian. "Tell you what; how much is the rent behind and how much for the next month?"

"Well it's a month behind so that would be $600."

Matt looked in his wallet and found that he had $1000 in it. "Here's $1000. Can I bring you the other $200 after I go to the bank?"

"Don't worry about it. I trust you." The older lady smiled at him. "If it wasn't for the fact that the owner of this place is such a jerk I wouldn't ask at all."

"I'll bring it by in a little while – don't want you to get in trouble with your boss." Matt thanked her again and called Brian over. "Do you have a key to the apartment?" The boy dug in his pocket and produced it. "Okay, let's go up and see about getting some of your clothes and stuff, okay?"

They went up to the third floor and Brian opened up the door of apartment 317. "You go pack your clothes and whatever else you think you'll need for a while. I'm going to look around and see if I can find anything to help us, is that okay with you?"

"Okay, her bills and stuff like that are in that file cabinet in the kitchen. Will that help?"

"It might." Matt headed for the kitchen while Brian went about getting his clothes. After digging through the papers he noticed that Lisa Landers had been better organized than most folks. Her bills had been paid on time – up until the time that she disappeared. There was nothing there to indicate any friends or family that might be able to help. Matt found Brian's birth certificate and put it in his shirt pocket. After looking around the rest of the apartment and coming up empty, Matt headed back to Brian's room. He found him sitting in the closet crying.

"Hey bud. You okay?" Matt squatted down in front of the closet.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a wuss." The boy was doing his best to halt the flow of tears but was losing the battle.

"You're not a wuss, Brian." Matt was at a loss. Sitting down against the wall, he looked around the room. Like most other teenage boys, Brian had a slew of posters with pretty girls on them around the walls of the room. Matt chuckled.

"What's so funny?" The boy was wiping his eyes with the tail of his t-shirt.

"I was just thinking. You've got all these posters up in here with the women on them? Can you believe I just got rid of the ones that I had a couple of weeks ago?" He smiled at the boy.

"Wow. Your wife must be really understanding."

Matt burst into laughter. "Well, we've been down here for almost a month now, from LA. The room we're using was mine from the time I was five years old until I moved out. My dad didn't touch a thing in there, so all my "hot chick" posters were still on the wall. CJ teased me about 'em – bad – after we got down here."

Brian was grinning. "She seems really nice." He was quiet for a minute. "Do you think her friend can help me?"

"Well I tell you what, bud; if she can't then we're going to keep looking until we find someone who can. Sound like a plan?" Brian nodded. Matt got to his feet and held out his hand to the boy. "Come on; let's get your stuff in the truck." The pair picked up the bags that Brian had put his stuff in and hauled them down to the truck. Matt looked up at the sky. "We better put them in the back seat – looks like it wants to rain again."

As they headed to the factory where Brian's mom had worked Matt's phone rang. "Yeah babe." He listened as his wife explained what her lawyer friend had told her. "Yeah, but…" CJ talked on. Brian began to get an uneasy feeling about what was being said on the other end of the line. Matt pulled the truck over at a park and got out to talk to his wife privately.

"Look, there's gotta be something else we can do. You and I both know how the state is already loaded down with kids that need a home…and we're actually willing to take this boy in. Or at least I am."

"That's not fair, Matt. I never said I didn't want him." CJ was starting to get angry with her husband.

"I'm sorry, CJ, you just…I don't know. He's a good kid and I don't want to see him get hurt." Matt looked up toward the pond where a toddler was feeding the ducks with a woman that appeared to be his grandmother.

"I suggest we set up a meeting with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Matt. We can make our case and see if they will let us have temporary custody."

"But what if they say no? What then?" He turned back to look at Brian who appeared to be near tears again.

"Matt, there are things called laws. You can't just take custody of a kid without getting approval from the state."

"And why not? I'm not a bad guy; they can look up my record. Neither one of us…"

"Don't you think I know that? Look, my friend is willing to act as an advisor to him…an advocate."

"Okay, why don't you two go talk to TFPS and Brian and I will keep looking for his mom in the meantime?"

"They will probably want him to be there."

"Well, see what they can get done without him there." Honestly, he loved CJ to death but the lawyer in her could drive him crazy sometimes.

"Okay, but I'm telling you…"

"I know." He looked down at his boots while he kicked at some loose gravel. "Please, CJ?"

She sighed. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. Where are you?"

"We're on our way to the FabriCare Plant where his mom worked."

"Alright, I'll call you when I know something, but Matt if they want you to bring him in, you'll have to…or risk going to jail."

"I know, CJ. Thanks. Love you. 'Bye." He hung up before she could say anything else and got back in the truck. "She and her lawyer friend are going to talk to TFPS. Maybe they can help us."

"I'm not going to a foster home. My mom and dad were both raised in them…I'm not going to one."

Matt reached over and patted Brian's shoulder. "I'm not going to let that happen, Brian." He started the truck and they headed to the textile plant where Lisa Landers had worked.

When they walked through the front door Matt and Brian were met by a security guard. After telling him their reason for being there, they were escorted to the personnel office and met with Janice Marshall, a short lady with bright red hair. Janice knew exactly who Lisa Landers was and had been wondering what happened to her.

"She had a great work record with us until she just didn't show up one day. That was," she clicked keys on the computer in front of her, "last month. The third to be exact." She looked over the glasses that were perched on her freckled nose and smiled at Brian. "You look a lot like her."

He nodded. Matt was stumped. "Do you know if she was friendly with any of the other employees? Maybe they could tell us where she is."

Janice shook her head. "She was really shy. Painfully shy, you know what I mean?"

Matt nodded. He gave her one of his cards with the ranch phone number on the back. "Would you give me a call if you hear anything or think of anything else that might help us find her?"

"I'd be glad to, hon." She stuck the card into the corner of her desk calendar.

As they left the plant, Matt was trying to figure out where to go next when his phone rang again. "Hi babe."

"Matt, they want you to bring Brian in so they can meet you and make sure that he's alright." She had a feeling he wouldn't want to do it.

"Are you sure that's all they want?" He couldn't help but be suspicious.

"We've been talking with a really nice lady here, Wanda Burton. She wants to help us, Matt."

He looked over at Brian. "Okay, where is it?" CJ gave him the address and after he hung up he explained it to Brian who almost jumped out of the truck. Matt grabbed him by the back of his pants and pulled him back. "Look, this lady wants to help us."

"Sure she does…she wants to help me right into a foster home…and I'm not going!" He tried to dive out of the truck again.

"Brian! Look man. You don't understand." Matt grabbed him and held onto his arm. "I have a lot of friends; some are cops, some are lawyers. And I will do whatever it takes to keep them from putting you in a foster home, okay?" He didn't blame the boy for being skeptical. "I swear it, Brian." The boy relaxed and Matt turned him loose.

"Okay, but if they do, I'm going to make a run for it, just so you know."

"Okay. Let's go talk to them."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 **

Matt drove to the TFPS office on 40th Street in Houston. As he and Brian made their way to Wanda Burton's office neither one said a word. Right before they walked inside, Matt stopped and looked at Brian. "I swear, Brian, I will do whatever it takes, okay?" The boy nodded and they went inside.

CJ and her friend Laurie Sullivan were waiting for them. Wanda Burton looked up at Brian and waved them all into her office to have a seat. "Hi, Brian. My name is Wanda." She reached her hand across the desk and the boy shook it. "You have a lot of folks here today that are trying to help you. Did you know that?" He nodded.

Laurie Sullivan spoke up. "You picked the right barn to go into, Brian. Matt and CJ have a reputation for helping people, did you know that?" He shyly nodded again.

Wanda hit some keys on her computer and started asking Brian questions about his mom and how things had been before she started taking drugs. He told her everything he knew and was completely honest with her. After several minutes of filling out forms, Wanda looked back across the desk at him and smiled. "Okay, here's what we've got to do. There is a judge that we need to go see. She's a real nice lady and if I was a betting woman, I would say that she will give us what we want."

"You think she will let Brian stay with us, then?" Matt spoke up.

"I believe so. But," she looked back at Brian, "if she doesn't, you'll have to do what she says, okay?"

The boy looked at Matt. "Brian, remember what I told you. Whatever it takes, okay?" Matt patted him on the shoulder. The boy nodded.

"Okay, let's go pay her a visit." Wanda led the way down the hallway and across the street to the judge's chambers. Judge Maynard's secretary was expecting them and after telling her that Brian was there, they were shown inside.

"Hi Brian, I'm Judge Maynard. It's nice to meet you." She held out her hand and Brian shook it. "Would you all like to have a seat while I look over the papers that Miss Wanda has put together?" They all sat down, Brian right between Matt and CJ.

After looking through the paperwork, the judge looked at Brian. "It seems like you've been very lucky. You've found some good people to help you, Brian. Now, I need to ask a few questions. Are you sure you want to stay with the Houstons?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Will you abide by their rules? You know, do what they tell you and behave?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I've got to tell you; the fact that you're being so respectful is a breath of fresh air for me. I'm used to hearing "yeahs" and "uh huhs" all the time." She smiled at him again. "Alright, I'm going to grant the Houston's temporary custody of you for ninety days. Then we'll get together again and see where we're at – see if Mr. Houston here can find your mom – and then we'll go from there, is that okay with you?"

"Yes ma'am – real okay, thank you." Brian was smiling ear to ear.

CJ reached over and patted his hand and he jumped up and gave her a big hug, then he gave Matt a hug. CJ noticed that both he and the boy had tears in their eyes, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the judge.

"Okay, you can go now. Good luck to you, and let me know how it goes, alright?"

Matt and Brian nodded, neither one could speak. CJ thanked the judge as did Laurie Sullivan and they all walked outside.

As they hit the humid air outside on the sidewalk Matt took a big breath. "Okay, I'm officially starving. Who wants some lunch?" CJ raised her hand as did Laurie.

"How about you, Miss Wanda?" Brian looked over at the counselor.

"I could eat no problem." She smiled at Brian.

"Okay, bud, your choice: what's for lunch?" Matt put a hand on his shoulder.

"Burgers sound good to me. And a milkshake."

"Alright then, burgers and shakes it is. Let's go." They took off down the sidewalk for a burger joint that was a couple of blocks up.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

After enjoying two bacon cheeseburgers, a huge order of fries and a strawberry milkshake, Matt was feeling a lot better. Since he no longer had to worry about the state trying to snatch Brian, he could completely devote his mind to finding Lisa Landers. He got a picture of the woman from some of Brian's belongings and then after sending him back to the ranch with CJ, he called Chuck.

"Oh, so you're going to talk to me now, huh?" The deputy had been mad at Matt that morning.

"Look, I'm sorry I was a jerk this morning. It's just…" Matt was trying to find the right words. "He's a good kid, Chuck. And the judge gave us temporary custody this morning so we're all legal now."

Chuck laughed. "I figured CJ would find a way. Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Well, I need to talk to somebody in Vice or Narcotics, I guess. What I'm wondering is where the hotspots are for heroin addicts – where can they buy, use, disappear to…"

The deputy gave Matt the number for Det. Mark Lyons. Matt had met him a few weeks ago when another of his childhood friends, Jessie Sanders had been involved in a meth lab. Thanking the deputy, Matt ended the call and dialed the number for Lyons.

"Detective Lyons? Hi, this is Matt Houston. Yeah, I'm doing okay. Look I could use some information. I'm trying to locate a woman named Lisa Landers. She's a heroin addict. Her son turned up in my barn yesterday and I'm trying to help him out. She used in the past but quit after she met the boy's dad, then started using again after he passed away a couple of years ago."

"Alright, where was she living?" Lyons knew every little nook and cranny hole-in-the-wall where users would go. Matt told him the address of the apartment. "Hmm…that's not a neighborhood where there is a lot of use. I'd say the closest place would be over on Richardson Street. Tell you what, how about we meet and I show you the place? And do you have a picture of her?"

"I sure do. Where do you want to meet?" Matt jotted down the address. "Okay, I've got to make a real quick trip to take care of something first. Is 2:00 okay?"

"Works for me. See you there." Lyons dug into his lunch as he made a phone call to Los Angeles.

Matt headed across town a couple of miles and went to the bank to get some cash for the rent on the Landers' apartment, then swung by and paid the manager the rest of the rent. "Where is Brian?" She was writing out a receipt for Matt.

He smiled. "He's on the way home with my wife. We got temporary custody of him today."

"Good. He seems to like you two and now I don't have to worry about him." She handed the receipt to the private investigator who thanked her and then headed to meet Det. Lyons.

He got to Richardson Street just as Lyons did. The detective was driving an undercover SUV. Matt got out of his truck and got into the SUV with Lyons. "I sure do appreciate your help." The two men shook hands.

"So what's the story on the kid?" The detective popped a piece of gum into his mouth. Matt told him the events that had started the day before and ended with the custody award. "Good. There are too many kids in rat trap foster homes." He pointed out the house that was up the street a little ways. "That's the shooting gallery." Matt looked over at him. "The heroin version of a crack house." The private investigator nodded.

"I've never had much to do with stuff like this." He looked over at the cop.

"Congratulations, wish I didn't either. But this is the line of work I picked, so…" He left the rest unspoken.

"Okay, I'm sure that going up and knocking on the front door and asking to see Lisa isn't the wise move here."

Lyons chuckled. "Nope. But we've been planning a raid here so congratulations…" He looked up in his rearview mirror. "You can be a part of it." Matt must have looked surprised. "I did some checking up on you. Talked to a Lieutenant Hoyt at LAPD…"

Now Matt was the one chuckling. "Let me guess: the words "lightning rod" were used, right?"

"Yup. But he also says you're top notch – the best detective going."

"And I'll also bet he told you not to tell me that."

"Ah well, you know, he'll never catch up to me." Lyons laughed again. "Seriously though, he thinks a lot of you – and your wife. He told me how you helped him out when he was up on bogus charges. Said you wouldn't quit until it was over."

Matt grinned. "Well, believe it or not, we haven't always been on such good terms. He hated my guts when he first got transferred in to the precinct."

"Yeah, he told me that part, too." They both laughed. A van pulled up on the other side of the street. Lyons reached into the back seat and pulled out two bulletproof vests, handing one to the private investigator. Then he handed him a pair of latex gloves. "You don't want to go in there without these. And don't touch anything you don't absolutely have to."

"Good thing I brought my pistol along, huh?" Matt grinned at the cop as he put on the vest and the gloves. In the back of his mind he was thinking about part of the reason he had come back to Texas – to decide if he wanted to continue working as a private investigator. He decided that he must have already decided that the answer was yes.

"Ready?" Lyons looked over at the private eye as he pulled his pistol from the waistband of his jeans and checked the load. "You kinda hang back a little. The boys in the van are the entry team – they'll go in and get things started and we'll back 'em up. You make sure nobody runs out of the front door, got it?"

"Yup."

Lyons rolled down the passenger side window and gave a signal to the men in the van and then tapped his brakes to signal the group that had pulled up behind his SUV. "Let's go. At a run, PI." The pair jumped out of the SUV and took off for the house. Part of the team went around to the back and the rest hit the front door running. Matt stood in the doorway blocking the exit. Within a minute, the police had the scene under control and were in the process of searching everyone inside for weapons and cuffing them with plastic restraints. As soon as everyone was secured, Matt pulled out the picture of Lisa and began going from room to room in the house looking to see if she was there. And in the very last room he found her. She was propped against the edge of a stained and dirty mattress, crying.

Matt knelt down in front of her. Her eyes were glassy and red-rimmed. "Lisa?" She looked up at him.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of Brian's." The woman burst into tears once again.

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he is. He's at my ranch." Matt told her how he and Brian had met. Det. Lyons walked into the room.

"Is that her?"

Matt nodded. He had a feeling there was more to the story than Lisa just going on a drug binge. "Tell me what happened." She looked between Matt and Lyons, trying to decide if it was safe.

"Ma'am, this man here just got temporary custody of your son. He's been going to bat for him. Don't you think if Brian trusts him that you should, too?"

She nodded, then sobbed as she started in telling the pair what happened. "I came down here to get a fix…" She took a deep, shaky breath. "I didn't have much money on me, but there was enough for one hit. After I got it, I wanted more. The guy gave it to me before I handed him any money and I tried to take off running with it. But I had been using, you know, and my legs were all rubbery." Matt looked up at Lyons. "He caught me, beat me up, and said I was going to pay for it – one way or another. So he kept me locked up in here and sold me…" She started crying again. Matt felt his stomach churn.

"Let's get her out of here." He and the detective helped her to her feet. "Are these your shoes?" Matt indicated a pair of flip flops that were by the mattress. She nodded and he used the toe of his boot to slide them over to her. They walked her outside and sat her down on a front porch chair. She squinted as they went through the front door and Matt could understand why: the room that she had been held in had boards nailed up over the windows and there wasn't even a light bulb in the ceiling fixture. She had been kept in the dark for a month.

Lyons told another officer to keep an eye on her. "She's in some trouble from being here in the first place, but technically she was kidnapped." Matt could tell that the woman's story had impacted the officer. "This kind of thing goes on all the time. I see it in half of the busts that we make." Matt nodded.

"So how do we play this?" He looked around. People were sitting on their front porches watching the show.

Lyons sighed. "Well, we could try talking to the DA. She's got a prior – I looked it up after you called me – but it was fifteen years ago. She straightened up her act. I think we might be able to work something out. Hoyt tells me your wife is one hell of a lawyer."

"Yeah, she is." He thought about the situation. "What if I could guarantee that she gets into a treatment program? She could get cleaned up again. Would that help?"

The detective shrugged. "It depends on who you're talking to at the DA's office. But I'd say that's about the best shot."

"Okay. Let me talk to her and tell her what our proposal is and see if she agrees to it." Matt walked over to Lisa and squatted down in front of her. Lyons watched her face as Matt told her what he was willing to do and saw her nod as fresh tears started streaming down her face. The officer called for an ambulance to take Lisa to the hospital and as it pulled away from the curb, Matt called CJ as he followed it.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"Babe, we found her." Matt told CJ the story. "I'm following her to the hospital right now. Look, I don't know if you would want to, but…"

"I'll do it, Matt. She sounds like she's willing to try and there is Brian to take into consideration."

"Thanks. Would you tell Brian? And I'll try to arrange it where he can see her when she's in a little better shape. I really don't think he should just right now. Maybe a phone call would do until then."

"You're right. He's out helping Ollie clean the stalls right now. I'll go talk to him." She paused for a minute. "Hon, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just relieved that we found her so quick. I really was starting to think we wouldn't find her at all."

"Alright. I'll see you in a little while I guess. Be careful, okay?"

"Yes ma'am. And CJ? I love you."

"Love you, too, Matt. 'Bye." She walked down to the barn to talk to Brian.

At the hospital, it was a couple of hours before Matt was allowed in to see Lisa. When he was taken back, he found her lying in a bed with one arm handcuffed to the bedside rail. "Hi. How're you feeling?"

She gave him a smile. "Much better. But I'm in trouble." She looked like she was going to start crying again. "But I'm just going to have to deal with it. I got myself into it and now I've got to get myself back out." She got quiet again. "I want to thank you for taking care of Brian and for helping me out."

"Well, he's a good kid. And boy can he put away the groceries!" They both laughed.

"Do you have any kids, Mr. Houston?"

"My wife and I have one on the way." He grinned: it seemed he just couldn't help but grin every time he thought about it.

"I've got a feeling you'll be a great dad."

"I'm sure going to try." They got quiet for a minute. "Would you like to talk to Brian?"

"Yes, please. I'm afraid he's going to hate me for what I did…but I do love him, Mr. Houston."

"Drop the mister part, okay? Most folks just call me Houston." He pulled out his phone and called CJ again. "Hey, is Brian with you? There's somebody here who would like to talk to him." Matt handed the phone to Lisa.

"Brian? Oh honey, I missed you so much! I love you and I'm so sorry…" She started crying, but she was smiling, too. "You have? That's great, honey. Yeah? It sounds like you're in a great place." They talked on for a few minutes and Matt walked over and was looking out the window at the traffic going by. After a few minutes, Lisa got off of the phone. "Thank you so much for everything you and your wife have done. Brian is absolutely in heaven. He loves horses and he said that Mr. Ollie was teaching him how to take care of them."

"Yeah, old Ollie is a good guy." Matt put his phone back in his pocket. "My wife will be here to see you tomorrow – she's a lawyer and has agreed to help you out with your case – if that's okay with you."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her. Brian says she's really sweet."

"Yeah, but when it comes to being a lawyer – look out. She's tough as nails." Matt grinned. "Guess I better be getting on home. You take it easy and rest up, okay?" They shook hands and he walked out of the room and headed home.

As Matt parked the truck behind the house and got out, Brian ran out and jumped into his arms, engulfing him in a bear hug. "Whoa, pard! You gonna knock me down again or what?" Matt ruffled his hair.

"I can't believe you found her that quick! You've got to be the greatest detective in the world!"

"No, don't think so. I just got real lucky today, bud. If it wasn't for Det. Lyons I might not have found her."

"Yeah you would." They started into the house and Matt could smell something good cooking.

"What's for supper, Madre Rosa?" He walked into the kitchen.

"Fajitas." She turned and gave him a hug.

"What's that for?" He hugged her back.

"Because you found Brian's mom." The elderly housekeeper patted him on the cheek.

"Well, that's what I was supposed to do, right?" He looked at Brian and winked.

Later on that evening, Matt and CJ were sitting on the swing watching as Brian got a lesson from Ollie on how to curry comb a horse. CJ had her head resting on his chest. "So tell me how it all went down, Matt." He cut his eyes over at her and noticed the look on her face. "I believe you left out a few details when you called me earlier. Did I mention Chuck called me?"

Matt chuckled and grinned. "He's always had a big mouth."

"Well, tell me about it. You were in on the raid with Det. Lyons and…" She wasn't going to leave him alone until she pulled every detail from him.

Matt pulled her closer and told her the whole story from start to finish. "Happy now?"

She nodded. "And you seem happier, too. I believe you've come to a conclusion about your future, haven't you?"

He looked down into her eyes. "You know, sometimes I think you know me just a little TOO well, darlin'." Matt took her hand and kissed it. "Yes I have. I know it's a dangerous line of work, but it's something that I'm good at and that I enjoy – usually. Getting to help people is something that I like doing. I may not be able to change the whole world, but I can sure make things better for the folks that I come in contact with."

"You rehearsed that on the way home, didn't you?" She looked up into those chocolate brown eyes that she loved so much.

"Yep. How did I do?" He smiled down at her.

"Kiss me and I'll tell you." Matt pulled her closer and the pair kissed. "You did great, hon."


End file.
